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WASHINGTON (CBSDC) – Officials with the American Academy of Pediatrics stated recently that clinics found inside of retail locations are not appropriate sources of primary care for children.

Taking children to what officials with the AAP referred to as retail-based clinics is not ideal in their eyes, as it doesn’t allow for patients to forge an ongoing relationship with their doctors, LiveScience is reporting.

That lack of detailed knowledge on a patient’s medical history could additionally cause specialists at retail-based clinics to miss underlying medical conditions in patients. Also, the statement released by the AAP states that care providers at such clinics may lack specialty training for children.

LiveScience learned that the Association has spoken out against clinics in stores previously, issuing a similar statement on the matter in 2006.

Officials offered advise to those who continue to seek care for their children at such clinics, which are said to be more abundant now than at the time the first statement was made.

“If parents choose to use a retail-based clinic for their child’s illness, they should ask if the clinic has a formal relationship with their pediatrician, if the clinic will communicate with the pediatrician about the visit, and what the protocol is for following up if the illness does not resolve or the clinic is closed,” officials recommended in the statement, which can also be found on the AAP website.

They added: “Parents should consider only using retail-based clinics that have a formal relationship with their child’s pediatrician.”

The statement will be published in next month’s issue of the journal Pediatrics, AAP officials noted in the release.